Whiteboard Archives

October 05, 2011 - 09:22PM

‘VISIONARY’: Statement by President Obama on the passing of Steve Jobs: “Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.

“By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.

“The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him..

Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.

“By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.

“The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.">

October 05, 2011 - 08:50PM

There’s no official statement from the White House yet, but the Twitter feed for President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign carries this message: “Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. From all of us at #Obama2012, thank you for the work you make possible every day-including ours.”

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor also took to Twitter: “Saddened to hear the news about Steve Jobs — he changed the world and made it a better place.”.

outpouring of grief and sympathy from political leaders in Washington.

There’s no official statement from the White House yet, but the Twitter feed for President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign carries this message: “Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. From all of us at #Obama2012, thank you for the work you make possible every day-including ours.”

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor also took to Twitter: “Saddened to hear the news about Steve Jobs — he changed the world and made it a better place.”">

October 05, 2011 - 05:14PM

NO QUESTIONS, PLEASE: The pool reports that no questions were taken as President Obama spoke to reporters in the Oval Office alongside the president of Honduras.

"Both presidents spoke of the history of warm relations between their two countries and the need to fight corruption and the drug trade," the pool reports..

October 05, 2011 - 03:26PM

LET'S MOVE: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush has confirmed with the White House that President Obama will take his jobs bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia from Oct. 17 to 19.

Those battleground states are, obviously, not insignificant to his reelection effort..

October 05, 2011 - 03:06PM

JAY-TALKING: Here’s what you need to know from Wednesday’s White House briefing with press secretary Jay Carney:

-- Carney went after the press twice as reporters asked about President Obama’s efforts to get his jobs bill through Congress. "There is an obsession with process that the American people, the consumers of your product, do not care very much about," he said, later claiming that journalists have “an extraordinary amount of contempt” for the idea that Obama should be talking to the public outside of Washington.

-- The White House’s talking point in response to the call for an investigation into Eric Holder’s “Fast and Furious” testimony is that the attorney general was “consistent and truthful.” Carney said that almost a half-dozen times, brushing aside GOP Rep. Lamar Smith’s request for an inquiry.

-- Carney responded to a question about Obama’s comments on a new Bank of America rule by saying that “banks have to decide how they adjust to the provisions within that act, and consumers have to decide what they're going to do in reaction to that,” referring to the new financial regulations law.

-- Carney continued to defend the White House’s loan process for helping clean energy companies, arguing in response to a question about Solyndra that any loan-guarantee program has “a risk” in it..

October 05, 2011 - 01:29PM

CARNEY BRIEFS: Asked if President Obama thinks the Pentagon can take any more budget cuts, White House press secretary Jay Carney says the super-committee should avoid an outcome in which a "trigger" is hit. He says he doesn't want to talk about "what dollar lines are acceptable." (2:49 p.m.)

April Ryan asks a campaign question. "We're just not focused on that," Carney says of the presidential race. (2:53 p.m.)

And that's it. (2:55 p.m.)

Jobs and more, after the jump ...
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QUESTION TIME -- Our questions for Jay Carney:

Has the president told Democrats in Congress of any specific date by which he wants his jobs bill to be voted on?

If the president wants Eric Cantor to go to Dallas to explain his position on the jobs bill, does that mean the president is willing to go to heavily GOP districts and talk to Republicans there?

Does the president plan to name a special counsel to investigate Eric Holder's purportedly false statements to Congress on "Fast and Furious"?

Does the president think the news emerging about the White House’s involvement in the Solyndra loan is a distraction?

Has the president offered any thoughts on the offensive name of the hunting camp once leased by Rick Perry’s family?

FROM THE TOP -- White House press secretary Jay Carney begins by telling a reporter that her question "doesn't make a lot of sense to me" (it was about whether the administration worked with Republicans on the ideas in President Obama's jobs plan).

"We are open to different ways of paying for the very open, broadly supported measures" in the bill, he says. (1:53 p.m.)

Carney gets feisty with the press as he's asked about the administration working on getting the jobs bill through Congress. "There is an obsession with process that the American people, the consumers of your product, do not care very much about," he says. (1:55 p.m.)

White House press secretary Jay Carney says the administration is talking with members of Congress about legislation on China's currency; he says it raises some concerns but that the White House shares its goals.

Another reporter asks about the White House's communication with Republicans. "You guys all get a memo in the morning, like, 'Remember to ask Jay about meetings ...?' " he interrupts. (2:05 p.m.)

The questions for White House press secretary Jay Carney so far have been entirely about the jobs bill and the economy.

On one on taxes, Carney says that what happened in 2007, 2008 and 2009 is what happens when millionaires are taxed at low rates. (2:14 p.m.)

Jake Tapper asks Carney about Solyndra and the larger loan process as it involves the Energy Department. "I got a version of this question a few days ago," Carney says. "If you're going to do a loan-guarantee program," it carries with it "a risk." (2:17 p.m.)

Asked about the call for an investigation into Eric Holder's testimony, White House press secretary Jay Carney says that "there has been one call" that is "biannual," happening "once every six months," in an apparent effort to discredit the legitimacy of the request by GOP rep. Lamar Smith.

"The attorney general's testimony is consistent and truthful," Carney says, adding that Smith's calls for an investigation "do not change that." (2:22 p.m.)

Carney shows a flash of anger as he's asked again about President Obama's effort to get his jobs bill passed. "There is an extraordinary amount of contempt expressed here and on Capitol Hill" that Obama shouldn't "talk with the American people," he says.

"He's spending a lot of time focused on this, as he should be," Carney says. (2:24 p.m.)

White House press secretary Jay Carney tangos with Ed Henry again, this time over Attorney General Eric Holder's testimony on the "Fast and Furious" program. He starts by saying President Obama has confidence in Holder and that he's an "excellent attorney general."

Carney has found his talking point, though. He repeats "consistent and truthful" at least three times in describing Holder's testimony, which Henry notes is about a year off on a matter of when the attorney general first learned about some details of the "Fast and Furious" program.

Carney notes that a document in question is "many, many pages long." He then says simply "consistent and truthful" as Henry continues. (2:29 p.m.)

White House press secretary Jay Carney is asked about the jobs bill again. "How you pay for it, we've always said, is something we were open to negotiating in good faith," he says. (2:35 p.m.)

Asked about President Obama's comments on Bank of America, Carney says the new consumer protection law shields consumers from "hidden fees." And he says banks "have to decide how they adjust to the provisions within that act, and consumers have to decide what they're going to do in reaction to that." (2:37 p.m.)

White House press secretary Jay Carney says he can't confirm any deaths in the Yemen drone strike other than Anwar al-Awlaki.

A reporter notes that Carney and President Obama, over the summer, wouldn't talk about bills that they knew wouldn't pass, but now they've taken the opposite stance on the jobs bill that has a very low chance of passing. Carney says the difference is that the bills that the Republicans wanted over the summer were "overwhelmingly unpopular" among the public.

He adds of the jobs act, "Not only does it have the support of the American people," but that Republicans have historically backed the ideas in it. "That's a huge difference," he says. (2:47 p.m.)

October 05, 2011 - 04:49AM

FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC: Before President Obama does anything on Wednesday, he'll sign into law a bill passed yesterday that will keep the government going.

With that bureaucratic matter out of the way, Obama will welcome the president of Honduras to the White House. They'll even talk to the press pool in the Oval Office before their official meeting begins -- though there's no word on whether Obama will take a question, which used to be customary during visits by heads of state. (Obama gave an interview on Monday, but he hasn't yet been asked about one issue in the news: the offensive name of a hunting camp once leased by Rick Perry's family.)

Here's what the White House had to say about the meeting: "The President looks forward to discussing a broad range of bilateral and regional economic and security issues during their Oval Office meeting. The President also welcomes the opportunity to underscore the strong bonds of friendship between the American and Honduran people, as well as President Lobo’s efforts to restore democratic and constitutional order in Honduras and the country’s return to the Organization of American States earlier this year.".